


Cosmic Love

by YamiSnuffles



Series: Too Much of a Good Thing [4]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Both Angels, Alternate Universe - Crowley Didn't Fall (Good Omens), Crowley Was Not Raphael Before Falling (Good Omens), Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21990817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YamiSnuffles/pseuds/YamiSnuffles
Summary: The fourth part in an ongoing AU where both Crowley and Aziraphale are angels.Not long after the Great Flood, Gabriel comes to lay down a few ground rules for Crowley and tries to set Aziraphale on a better path.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Too Much of a Good Thing [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1527806
Comments: 17
Kudos: 135





	Cosmic Love

**Author's Note:**

> It's important to read the other parts of the series first, or none of this will make sense.

While of course no angel was exactly alike, there were a few things about the Seraphim generally considered rules amongst the other angels. For one, they burned with a fiery passion in all they did, both figuratively and quite literally. For another, they had very lovely voices. If they were to be found anywhere other than deep in the cosmos, it was at the Almighty’s side, singing Her praises. Finally, they were weird. This last point was generally considered a byproduct of the prior two.

Of course, because the Seraphim tended to work at a distance from many other angels, this opinion was likely little more than gossip. How many of the Host could say they spent enough time with even a single Seraph to sum them up? That was Aziraphale’s opinion on the matter. Or, at least, it had been until he  _ had  _ spent enough time with a certain Seraph to form a distinct impression.

Aziraphale had started to wonder if Crowley himself was the reason the Seraphim had developed such a reputation. He was certainly dramatic and what was that if not a sort of passion. Aziraphale hadn’t ever heard him sing but Crowley also had a lovely speaking voice. As to the last bit, well…

There were plenty of ways that Crowley was different from anyone else Aziraphale knew. Crowley went by Crowley instead of his God given name, for one. It was certainly his choice and one Aziraphale respected but he couldn’t say he understood the impulse. For another, Crowley was often using nonsensical turns of phrase, talking about lead balloons and zoos and the like. He said them in ways that implied what he was saying made perfect sense but always made Aziraphale feel an awful lot like something had gone wrong with his hearing. And then there was the way he was always calling Aziraphale “angel” as though they weren’t both angels. As though Aziraphale was something special, singular to Crowley. It made Aziraphale’s heart flutter in a way that definitely wasn’t normal, not for him.

Which was to say nothing of the way Crowley walked since he’d regained his legs. The way his hips and his legs seemed to have a rhythm all their own that defied logic and the laws of gravity while they were at it. It was peculiar. Outlandish. Altogether too much in a way that awakened parts of Aziraphale he’d rather forgotten he’d had and if that wasn’t strange, he didn’t know what was.

Crowley was doing it at that very moment, sauntering about like he wasn’t bound by any of the rules of his corporeal form. Aziraphale had been content to quietly watch him at it until the Seraph started to do something else odd. Crowley had been replanting the fertile but devastated landscape. Lush greenery sprang up in his wake as he walked, arms outstretched. It was a beautiful sort of dance with the way he moved. Or would have been, had Crowley not made frequent stops to grumble at whatever he’d just grown. 

“My dear, are you… talking to the plants?” Aziraphale asked. Talking seemed the kindest way to describe what Crowley was doing. Hissing was far more accurate but Crowley got a bit tetchy when his lingering serpentine features were pointed out. 

Crowley gave a low lying shrub a parting glare. When it raised its limbs further up toward the sun, he nodded and then looked at Aziraphale. “Just giving them a few reminders.”

“Of?”

“Of the flood. Of the fact that I am graciously giving them all a second chance.” Golden eyes became molten and turned on the plants once more. Their leaves quivered under his glare. “That this all could be taken away in a moment if they’re not careful and so they need to  _ grow better _ .”

Aziraphale’s heart squeezed uncomfortably at the implications. He tried to think of a way to respond gently to that but a sudden flash of lightning brought his brain to a halt. Gabriel appeared before them in what had been a pristine new field of poppies.

“Greetings, Aziraphale,” Gabriel said in that booming voice of his. He fixed a bright, white smile on Aziraphale and then turned it on Crowley. “And just the angel I was looking for. Hello, Sala-”

“Nope,” Crowley interjected.

Gabriel kept his smile in place, though it tightened noticeably. “Excuse me?”

Crowley crossed his arms. “That’s not my name anymore. It’s Crowley.”

Though Crowley might not be phased in the slightest by the Archangel’s clear displeasure at being both interrupted and corrected, Aziraphale couldn’t help but squirm. “Yes I, ah, I mentioned it in my memo to you?” It wasn’t a question. He knew he had but his voice rose all the same. He twisted the ring on his pinky finger. “In the report about the ark and everything.”

“I thought that was a joke,” Gabriel replied. “We all had a good laugh about it. Well, whatever.” He shrugged and turned his violet eyes down at the flowers crushed beneath his sandaled feet. He either couldn’t see or didn’t care about the way Crowley was glaring at him. “What is this?” he asked, wrinkling his nose and peeling a petal from his sole. “There isn’t supposed to be anything growing here yet.”

“Yeah, well,” Crowley shrugged. Despite his feigned nonchalance, his fingers twitched in clear desire to heal the crushed flowers. Instead he swept his arm to his side and tall grass sprouted in a clump. “Now there is.”

Gabriel frowned. “I see that. Why?”

Crowley bared his teeth in a sharp smile. “Dunno if you noticed, but there was a really big flood recently. That big boat full of humans and animals need more than a whole mess of mud to get on with things. Soooo-” An aggressive arm sweep and more poppies grew up around Gabriel for every one he’d trod on. “I’m helping them out. S’what we’re supposed to do, isn’t it?”

“We aren’t supposed to interfere directly with the affairs of the humans unless ordered. And  _ you  _ aren’t supposed to interfere at all with them.” Gabriel’s frown was traded for his widest, most mirthless smile. “You’ve done more than enough of that, wouldn’t you say?”

Aziraphale nearly stumbled in his haste to get between the two angels. He rather felt like doing so might cause him to be ill. He’d rather not. He’d seen it happen to humans and it looked dreadfully unpleasant. However, he couldn’t let this escalate any further. His own smile fluttered about the edges.

“Gabriel, is there a reason you’re here?”

“To see this, of course,” Grabriel replied, gesturing to Crowley. As though the Seraph was a thing, a spectacle, and not a fellow member of the Host. Aziraphale knew the Archangel couldn’t possibly mean it in that way but it did make his stomach turn again. “When you said in your report that our errant angel,  _ Crowley _ , had regained his original corporation, I just had to see it for myself. And what do you know, that wasn’t a joke either.”

Crowley’s only response was to bare his teeth further. Snakes weren’t capable of smiling, but Aziraphale had the distinct impression that it would look something like that if they could, a sickle sharp slice of venom. It made the too human hairs on the back of Aziraphale’s neck rise up. Danger, it said.

“No, not a joke,” he said. “Why- why would I lie in my report? I try my best not to embellish.”

Gabriel waved his hand. “Yes, yes. You were quite thorough, Aziraphale. But who would believe this? Not me. Not Michael. Sandalphon was taking bets on whether it would ever happen at all. No hard feelings or anything. You just gotta admit, this came as a surprise.”

Aziraphale couldn’t even think of what to say to that. His mouth worked around a response that wouldn’t come. Before he could find the words, Crowley stepped forward.

“Right, well, here I am. So if you’d just-” Crowley flapped his hand dismissively.

Annoyance flickered through Gabriel’s otherwise impassive features. “That’s not all I’m here for. You may have your original form back but, sorry to say, that’s not the end of it. It’s been decided that it would be best for everyone if you stay down here to live amongst the humans, as one of them. You’ll still have your miracles, of course. We’re not monsters. Though, in the future, do be less wasteful,” he said, gesturing at the lush greenery around them. “But that means no trips to Heaven.”

“Good riddance,” Crowley muttered.

“And no going off into the stars,” Gabriel continued brightly, as though he hadn’t heard Crowley’s aside.

Aziraphale gasped. He put a hand on Crowley as much to steady himself as to keep the Seraph back. But Crowley was no longer on the offensive. He was trembling. Aziraphale turned to look at him and saw his mouth was hanging wide.

“You can’t.”

Gabriel laughed. “ _ I can’t _ ? The Almighty may have decided in Her infinite goodness to let you stop crawling around but it’s up to Heaven to decide everything else. The humans are still suffering because of what you did, so it’s only fair, don’t you think?”

Crowley’s mouth thinned and a shadow passed over his golden eyes. It should have been easier for Aziraphale to read him now but he’d gotten so used to the body language of a snake. He needed to relearn everything about how Crowley expressed himself. All he knew at the moment was that his emotive friend was all too still and quiet for his liking.

Aziraphale cleared his throat. “Gabriel, could I perhaps speak to you for a moment? Er, privately.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow but didn’t protest when Aziraphale led him out of Crowley’s earshot. “You’ll have to excuse Crowley’s behavior. He’s been rather moody since the flood, what with the almost dying and being left out of plans. I don’t think he quite understands the… the ineffability of it.”

“Aziraphale, buddy, if it was up to me, I’d say getting his body back was the end of it. This is nothing personal. But you’ve got to consider appearances.” Gabriel wrapped one arm around Aziraphale’s shoulders and used the other to gesture at the sky. “Think about it. He already skipped out of his duty during the War and then there’s Eden. How do you think the other angels would feel if he got off so easy? Not to mention those mucking about in Hell. We let Salath- Crowley off after a mere thousand years and before you know it, we have demons demanding they be let back into heaven.”

Aziraphale squirmed uncomfortably. “Yes. Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

“Of course I am. As long he’s under Heaven’s care, we’re responsible for him. You wouldn’t rather he not be under our care, would you?”

Aziraphale’s throat went suddenly dry. He couldn’t help but look back at Crowley. The Seraph was barely visible crouching amongst the poppies, a shock of red hair amongst even redder blooms. Nearly everything Crowley had done since coming to Earth seemed designed to make Aziraphale fret on his behalf. He was always pushing at the bounds and asking too many questions instead of trusting in the Plan. Was Gabriel’s goodwill all that had kept Crowley from Falling? If so, what if he ever found out about the things that Aziraphale had left out of his reports, like why Crowley had nearly died during the flood?

Aziraphale shivered. “Crowley really does care for the humans. He sometimes shows it in an unusual way but he is trying. Perhaps if he had duties to keep him occupied?”

“I don’t think so, Aziraphale. It might seem nice to give him some busy work, but think about it from the other side. After what he did in the Garden, which souls are we supposed to trust to his care?” Gabriel shook his head. “I told you bud, gotta keep your eyes on the big picture. Good. Evil. We don’t need rogue agents messing things up.” He clapped Aziraphale on the back hard enough to wind him. “Big picture. Something you should keep in mind yourself when you consider what company you keep.”

As quickly as he’d arrived, Gabriel was gone, leaving only the tang of ozone and disapproval in his wake. Aziraphale let out a long, shaky breath. He knew what the Archangel was getting at- that he would be better off without Crowley around. It might be true but he wasn’t worried about himself. Well, not entirely. In truth, ever since he’d given away his sword he’d worried that he wasn’t doing the right thing. But he worried more about Crowley. If Gabriel was concerned about the influence Crowley might be on him, he was far more concerned about the effect he had on Crowley. Maybe they’d both be better off without each other.

With a heavy heart, Aziraphale turned to discuss the matter with his friend. However, Crowley was nowhere to be found. Aziraphale turned his head this way and that, hoping to catch a flash of copper hair or yellow eyes. Nothing. Wind rattled through the grass and dislodged a single white feather from its depths. Aziraphale sucked in a sharp breath. He could feel his heart pound and stopped himself before he got too worked up. There was no reason to believe Crowley was in danger. There had been those demons for a time but… No, no. It was fine. Crowley was hardly defenseless. He wasn’t human.

Nor was Aziraphale, for that matter. He extended all his senses. He wasn’t limited to anything so mundane as sight. Crowley had been difficult to find when he’d been a serpent, muted in a way. Since that day on the ark, though, he’d been like a beacon. He must have loved the world fiercely indeed for as bright as he burned. He was so full of love it was hard for Aziraphale to sense much else around him. 

“There you are,” Aziraphale sighed, letting out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding.

With a snap, he appeared in the upper atmosphere. He had to yank his wings quickly into this dimension to keep from falling. Once he’d steadied himself, he examined his surroundings. Above the clouds and everything else, it was easy to find Crowley. With his wings extended and his long hair trailing behind him, Crowley looked like a comet that was defying gravity to shoot upward. He went high enough that he was just one more shining point amongst many when something violently rebuffed him and he went crashing earthward.

Aziraphale shot forward with a yelp. He needed to tuck his wings in and propel himself faster with a miracle to surpass the speed of Crowley’s disastrous descent. He swept the Seraph into his arms and unfurled his wings again in time to stop them from crashing. Crowley looked dazed. He stared owlishly at Aziraphale as the Principality did his best to settle them in for a comfortable landing. He tried to place Crowley back on his feet but the other angel seemed liable to topple over if Aziraphale loosened his embrace.

“Crowley, are you alright? What were you thinking?”

Pink colored pale skin and obscured the freckles that dusted over Crowley’s high cheekbones. He found his feet at last and staggered back a step. “Just wanted to test,” he mumbled. He threw his head back to look up. His eyes were intense as he stared up at the clouds that dotted the blue sky, as if he could see beyond all of that to the cosmos. His eyes were wet when he looked down at Aziraphale. “How did you find me?”

“Simple. You positively radiate love, my dear.”

“I… ngk… wuh?”

Crowley’s face was positively scarlet now, though Aziraphale couldn’t fathom what he had to be embarrassed about. Best to reassure him after all that he’d just been through.

Aziraphale smiled softly. “Yes, I don’t know why I didn’t notice it in Eden but I suppose you hadn’t had time yet to really appreciate creation. Now, well my dear boy, I’m really in awe of how fiercely you love this world. But I’ve always heard how passionate the Seraphim could be.”

He meant it as a slightly teasing compliment but it didn’t seem like he’d hit the right mark. Crowley was still sputtering and the red of his face had seeped up to his ears. “Course you can sense… don’t know why I didn’t think…” All that nervous energy spread and caused Crowley’s wings to flutter. “Yeah, the world’s great. Just love it. Never known anything like it.”

Aziraphale smiled wider over the way Crowley’s voice broke around the word love, as though it was too much to even say. He put a gentle hand on Crowley’s shoulder. “I know you want to go back to the stars but perhaps you can remember that until you’re able to return. It can’t be so unbearable to be trapped with something you love so much can it?”

A small, broken noise escaped Crowley’s throat. “No, s’fine, I guess. Nice. Great.”

Aziraphale thought of what Gabriel had said. Aziraphale couldn’t imagine it was possibly that bad to be around any angel who knew how to love so wholly but he often felt there was a lot he didn’t understand about how to be a good angel. He certainly didn’t know what was best in this case- for him, for Crowley, for anything. Maybe he didn’t need to decide that just yet. It felt cruel to abandon Crowley when he was reacclimating to the world after a millennia as a serpent, especially when he no longer had the comfort of the stars.

“Shall we get back? I know Gabriel said you oughtn’t miracle the plants back but I do think the humans will be rather confused if they come across things unfinished like that.”

Crowley beamed. “Anywhere you want to go, you know I’ll follow. So lead the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this took so long to get to. I've been trying to catch up on some of my non-AU fics but I haven't forgotten this one. The next will probably jump further forward in time.


End file.
